The End
by wingeddserpent
Summary: With great power, there comes great sacrifice. She can't remember who told her that, but she knows it's her life as long as she's a SeeD. This is a story about Selphie, and her most powerful Limit Break, The End. [Selphie centric, Minor Selvine]


The End

Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Everything you recognize, yeah, that belongs to Square Enix.

Author's Note: Ok, so I decided to write this when I found out you could kill Ultimecia with Selphie's Limit, The End, because how cheap is that? So I figured there HAD to be some downside of the power, and this story came out. And for grins, we find out how she got her Limit Break in the first place. Oh, and anyone who can guess who the Mercenary I mention vaguely is, will be seriously congratulated. I thank my friends for listening to me rant about it for a week or two. And read and review!

* * *

"Come on guys, we hafta get to the missile base!" Selphie panted, hands on her knees. A few monsters on their way there had attacked them, and it was going badly. 

The brunette glanced at the sniper, and former instructor who were with her, and bit her lip, they were covered in bruises, and cuts, just like she was. Green eyes widened, as she was suddenly attacked, and she knew she could not last much longer. She glanced at the other two, and noticed they were both summoning. This was it; she had to wait for it. The petite girl was suddenly filled with energy. She had gotten her Limit Break. Perfect.

Selphie waited, she needed that certain one, and she had to wait. And if she didn't do it, she had to keep redoing it until she got it. She did not have another option. They were not going to last much longer, and they were running out of time. Firaga. No. Cura. No. Protect. No. It took several minutes, but finally she got it. Her eyes shot open, and she murmured, "The End."

Irvine and Quistis stopped, why had they stopped summoning? They glanced at the monsters, only to find that the monsters were dead. "What?" Quistis frowned, and the two turned to Selphie.

Two sets of eyes fell on the immobile girl, clad in the bright yellow dress. "Selph?" the cowboy walked over, and knelt next to her, shaking her gently, "Selphie, get up."

Selphie didn't stir. The blonde frowned, "Is there a pulse?"

Irvine put two long, stable fingers on Selphie's neck, and nodded. "It's strong, and steady. She's out cold," he shook his head, long chestnut hair flipping over his shoulder.

Quistis sighed, "We need to set up camp for the night anyway," she turned, and began to pull items from her backpack.

Deep blue eyes looked at Selphie for a second, before Irvine put his long coat over her, and helped Quistis set up the Cottage. They needed all the rest they could get. It was better to take time preparing, then to rush and die. Haste makes waste. Even if Haste was a useful spell in battle. Besides, their leader was indisposed. Yes, Selphie was in charge for this mission.

The Mission: Demolish the Missile Base before they bomb Balamb Garden. Like they had, apparently bombed Trabia Garden. Quistis' sapphire eyes glanced at Selphie; she was starting to get worried. Selphie wasn't acting like herself. Sure, she still acted happy… but you could tell. She was worried sick.

Quistis bit her nails, which were all ready bitten about as small as they could go. "It's not a bad habit if you can quit anytime," she reminded herself softly.

She could stop anytime she wanted, she just… didn't want to yet. _Keep telling yourself that, Trepe,_ she thought darkly, and scowled. She shook her head, walked out, and lifted Selphie up with ease. Cottages came with three beds instead of sleeping bags, thank Hyne. She put the younger girl on the bed, and began to wonder. _Why did she go unconscious? The monsters were defeated, and she had to do it, because neither Kinneas or I summoned anything yet. _Quistis frowned; it just wasn't making any sense! _Looks like we'll just have to wait and see._

Irvine came in, and shot her a grin, "I'll take first watch," he informed her with a wink.

"I can do it," she said stiffly.

Quistis still was not sure what to make of the cowboy. He was becoming a good asset, true, but… still, he did not seem to be the most trustworthy of people. Most of the time. Her face softened, she could tell, somewhere, under the bravado and flirtations, there was a great person. Nevertheless, it was deep under the surface.

The cowboy sighed, "Aw, c'mon, Quisty, it's only polite. Ladies first. So you should get to sleep first."

"Quisty?"

He shook his head, eyes darkening, "Never mind. Look, Quistis, I need to polish my gun anyway. I'll watch Selphie, and camp. You get some shuteye. I'll wake you up at midnight."

She opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it, "All right, Kin- Irvine," and she stood up, and went to her bed. The second she laid down, she was fast asleep.

The sniper sat down outside the small Cottage. Sure, it was nicer than a Tent, but it was still small. Roughly constructed out a solid wood, it had three small beds all in the only room. There was one window, and a door, which he was currently sitting in front of. _Damn, it's cold_. He thought, rubbing his gloved hands together, wishing, not for the first time, that he could pull the trigger with gloves with fingers, because fingerless gloves were freakin' cold. _Oh, yeah. I have a Fire spell left. One small fire, comin' up! _

He gathered a tiny pile of dry grass and such, and used a Water spell around it, to keep the fire from spreading. Just in case, he kept more Water spells handy. Never knew when it could get out of control. "Fire," he said, and let the warmth wash over him, as the pile caught.

Irvine's watch passed rather fast, and without any difficulty. He pulled himself to his feet, and walked stiffly into the Cottage, careful not to disturb Selphie; he walked over to Quistis' bed, and shook her gently awake. "Quis, it's your watch…"

"Mmmm, all right," she sat up, stretching, "You get some sleep, cowboy."

"Yes, ma'am," he saluted, eyes twinkling in mirth.

The former instructor rolled her eyes, and pushed him into his bed, "Night, Irvine," she went outside to take her watch, and sat appreciably in front of the fire, which kept her fairly warm and cozy.

Her watch also passed quickly, and before she quite knew it, the sun was coming up. She stood up and stretched. Time to make breakfast. She sighed, before sneaking inside the Cottage to get the breakfast food. Oatmeal. Of course.

They ate a lot of oatmeal for several reasons. It did not spoil as fast as other foods, it was healthy, it was easy to make, and it was easy to carry. However, it was also boring, and after they were done with their journey, she never wanted to see oatmeal ever, ever again. She shook Irvine awake.

Sitting up with a jolt, Irvine returned to the land of the wakeful. "Wha?"

"Breakfast," Quistis, told him quietly, so as not to wake Selphie, stifling laughs behind her hand, "Not too smooth in the morning, are you?"

Grinning, he said just as quietly, "Oh, it depends on a few different factors. Such as how much coffee I've had, and the company I'm with," he glanced around for effect, "I think I could be very smooth this morning, if I get coffee."

"What a shame," she sighed, "There's coffee next to the oatmeal on the fire."

"Thanks," he stood up, and began to make his way to the food, "Selphie wake up at all?"

"No," she frowned, "We'll have to wake her in a few minutes," Quistis grabbed a bowl of oatmeal, and some coffee.

"I can do it," he offered, seeing her eyes narrow, he held up his hands, "I'm just, like, trying to help. I'll take care of it."

She thought a second, "Fine."

Irvine flashed her a grin, and walked over to Selphie's bed, as Quistis waited outside. "Selphie? It's time to wake up…"

Said girl opened her eyes sluggishly, "Irvine? What-" her face turned an alarming shade of green, and she pushed past him, and ran outside. He could hear the sound of retching a second later.

Selphie groaned, as she puked again, behind her little shrub. She hated mornings like this. Another wave of sickness hit her, as she emptied her stomach onto the ground. Glancing at it, she said goodbye to yesterday's breakfast.

Eventually, Selphie ran out of things to bring up, so she wiped her mouth, and spit on the ground, making a face at the aftertaste. "Here," Irvine handed her a bottle of water.

Grinning, she took it, and swished the water in her mouth a second, before spitting it out, "Thanks."

"No problem. How are ya feelin'?"

"Awful, thanks for asking," giggled Selphie.

"So like, what happened?" he asked, and Selphie noted that this was one of the few times he had acted serious, instead of charming around her.

_I almost wish I could tell him_, Selphie thought sadly, _Too bad I can't…_ She shrugged, "I'm not quite sure, I hit my Limit, and killed the monsters… And then… I can't remember a thing." _Well, it's mostly the truth…_

For a second, she thought she saw him frown, but when she blinked, he had the slight smile back in place, "Which Limit?"

"I… I can't remember… It was a new one… I think…" she was horrible at lying. Awful.

_She's hiding something, and lying to me,_ Irvine thought. It had been awhile, but he could still read the signs, "Well, we'll figure it out soon, oh beautiful leader of mine. Quistis made breakfast…"

Selphie's face turned green at the thought, and her body tried to heave again, but there was nothing to bring up. "Please, never mention food," she tried to retch once more, "Ever, ever again…"

His lips turned downward, "You've got to eat something…"

Shuddering, she said, "I can't. It's fine. This isn't the first time; I'll be able to eat by tomorrow."

_So it wasn't a new one, she's done it before. And it happens every time…_ He nodded, "Well, all right. We're runnin' late, remember?"

"Hyne! The missiles! We hafta go!" Selphie paled, and began to run around, franticly, shouting as she did, "Quistis! Pack up breakfast, I can get the Cottage! Irvine, keep watch!" well, no one could say she could not be a leader when she needed to be.

After that, they made their way to the missile base, blew it up, etcetera. In addition, Selphie's… 'illness' was mostly forgotten. It went away after a day, just like she said, and every time she did her limit break… well, she did not go unconscious. It should have been the end. It was actually in the middle.

Selphie gasped, as the sword cut through her, leaving a long gash on her arm. How could she have been so _stupid?_ Esthar was dangerous alone! However, she had just wanted to fly, while everyone else was busy… Was that such a bad thing? _When you're killed for it._ She made a face, and to top it off, she had no GF's junctioned. _Hyne, I'm such an idiot…_ She thought, closing her eyes.

_You only have one chance now, Tilmitt. Is it worth it? _Selphie's face drew into a grimace. She had no other choice. It was The End, or it was the end._What a cheerful pun. _Shaking her head, Selphie got ready. She had one chance, or she was going to die. The sword cut through her again, and she felt herself hit her Limit. "Here we go," she muttered and began to concentrate.

Irvine glanced around; Selphie had said something about the Ragnorak. Smirking, he thought,_She and that ship have been attached at the hip. Poor Squall's never going to get it back… _It was then his eyes fell on something he had been hoping never to see. Selphie, alone, unjunctioned, and fighting a monster much more powerful than she was.

Thanking Hyne he was junctioned, he began running towards her, as he got closer, he winced, noticing the bruises, and deep gashes. The fact she could barely stand. _What is she doing?_ He wondered, watching the girl whose eyes were closed as he aimed his gun at the Iron Giant.

Her eyes snapped open, her eyes burning, and he recognized the look from when she did her Limit Breaks, and waited for her to finish, knowing she must have waited for Full-Cure. "The End."

He blinked, that was a new one, he watched as the monster suddenly was surrounded by sparkles. The sparkles became flowers, as Irvine watched entranced. The monster was in a field of flowers, as two yellow butterflies flew past. A deep voice said _The End_. And the monster rolled over, dead.

Crash! Selphie fell to the ground, and did not move at all. Except for the breath that stirred her chest, at a slow and steady rate. "Selphie?" he rushed over.

No response. And Irvine remembered, this had happened before. On their way to the Missile Base. It all made sense now… He lifted her up, and carried her over to the ship she was so close to. He put her in one of the seats, and sighed. Squall, Rinoa, and Zell were all busy, they had to finish talking tactics with Laguna… er… President Loire. He would just have to wait for them to get back, and then tell them their pilot was… somehow, incapable of driving.

He glanced at her small form, and sighed once more. _I wish she had told me what was going on._ Oh well, regrets were not going to help him figure it out. Not at all.

The hours ticked by, and Irvine had polished his gun, eaten, and played thirty games of tic-tac-toe with himself. _I hate being bored_. He glanced at the controls of the ship, glanced at Selphie, and then he grinned. He stood up, and walked slowly over to the pilot's seat.

_Now… how to turn it on…_ His eyes scanned the complicated controls, and his eyes fell on a big blue button. A steady hand reached out to push it. The ship whirred into life, and Irvine whooped quietly, not wanting to wake Selphie.

Irvine looked at the controls with narrowed eyes, _How do I make the ship lift off? It's on… but now what?_ Bright blue eyes fell on a green button. He pushed it. Nothing happened.

Over the next two hours, Irvine unsuccessfully tried to get the ship to lift off, with no such luck. After another failed attempt, he thought, _Hyne, Selphie makes it look so easy. I don't know how she does it._

Push. Nothing. Push. Nothing. He was starting to get fed up. He was so engrossed, he did not notice Selphie wake up, and come over to watch, a small hand firmly placed on her mouth. "You push the blue button again."

Irvine whirled around and grinned, "So you're finally up."

"Yea- Excuse me!" she ran off to the bathroom, looking like she was going to be very sick.

Sure enough, the next second loud retching was heard from the bathroom. Selphie bent over the shiny toilet as she emptied her stomach into it, wishing that this didn't happen. Wishing she did not know what it meant. Two years. That wasn't a lot of time anyway, right? She puked again. After she was done, she rinsed her face with water from the sink, and stared at her reflection in the round mirror. She didn't look any different, but she was. _Two years_.

Irvine was leaning on the wall outside the bathroom when she came out, "So like, what happened?"

"Umm... same thing as last time. I got my Limit Break and-"

"The End, huh?" he cut her off.

_Crap_, she thought, _not good._ "It's one of my special four Limit Breaks. It kills all the monsters instantly."

"And you're horribly sick after," Irvine finished for her, "Why?"

Pausing, Selphie finally answered, "It's not a big deal, Irv. It protects the people I care about when I need it to. That's worth it any day."

He looked at her, an unreadable expression on his face, "So like, wanna teach me how to drive, darlin'?"

Selphie's eyes lit up, "Yeah! It'll be so much fun!" she grabbed him by the arm, and dragged him to the bridge. She sat down in the pilot's seat, as Irvine sat in the co-pilot seat, "Ok, so what you do is push the blue button twice, like this!" the brunette pushed the blue button twice. The Ragnorak lifted off the ground and hovered. "Now, to make it go, we hold down the pink button and steer…" she held down the pink button located on the u-shaped steering wheel.

The ship lurched, and then flew through the air smoothly, "And to stop, we push the blue button again," she told him as she pushed the big blue button, "Hold on!" Selphie stood up and rushed to the bathroom.

Irvine watched as she went and shook his head. He would have to keep asking her. He had to know what was going on. Had to let her know she could trust him. Selphie came back a second later, "Sorry, I-"

"Selph, what's going on?"

"I told you it's not a big deal…"

"Then why won't you tell me?"

Shrugging uncomfortably, Selphie sat down, "There's nothing you can do about it and it would just worry you…"

"I'm worried anyway."

She paused, he had a point. _Don't you trust him?_ She thought, and she made a decision. "All right, I'll tell you."

Standing up, Irvine pulled Selphie gently out of her chair before she could start it up again; he guided her to the co-pilot's seat, and took the pilot's seat so he could steer himself. Patiently, he waited for Selphie to start.

Sitting down and buckling her seatbelt, she thought, _Now how to put this without being melodramatic? _"Well ummm… I guess it started when I learned how to Limit. I can't really remember… I was twelve or so. Anyway, I have four special Limit Breaks… Full-Cure, Rupture, Wall, and… The End. The first three work like my other Limits, except more powerful. The End is even more powerful, but with great power comes great sacrifice. The first time I used it, I learned the sacrifice," Selphie sounded vacant, as she tried to remember how she had gotten it.

Irvine continued steering, glancing at her in concern, "So what's it take?"

"Two years off the end of my life," he froze at the cavalier tone she used when she spoke "That's why I'm so sick afterward. It's the body getting rid of the extra years."

His hands clenched on the wheel, ""Two years, so why use it?" he knew, Hyne, he _knew_ why, but he had to hear her _say_ it.

"Well," Selphie said slowly, "Two years doesn't really seem like much, compared to my life or the lives of other people."

Closing his eyes for a second, he asked, "So how many times have you used it?"

"Four."

_Eight years_, he thought panicked, _That's a long time. _"You don't seem worried. How come?"

"I-I guess I never thought it would matter. We're SeeDs and… well… how many SeeDs do you know who've died of old age, or to eight years before the average person dies of old age? Not a lot."

Steering calmly, he said, "That's kind of depressing, Sefie."

"I _knew_ it! I_knew_ it was just worry you!" she pointed an accusing finger at him.

Irvine sighed, "I'm still glad you told me," and he kept driving. Two years was a long time, eight even longer. However, Selphie had a point. They _were_SeeDs, and their average age at death was about 40 and that included the people who quit, and those random people who survived, and retired at 50 and lived to be 104. "So like… where are we?"

"Lemme check the map," she grinned, glancing over it.

That was when the radio crackled to life, "Selphie, Irvine, you guys there?"

"We're here, what's up?" he pressed the button on the radio so Zell could hear him.

"Well, Supreme Commander Squall wants to leave, but you guys have the Rag," they heard Rinoa and Quistis snickering in the background.

"We'll be right-" Irvine blinked, "Selphie, what are you doing?" she was hopping around like a mad person, "What the-"

"Whoo! I'm being possessed by Ultimecia!" Selphie staggered over to Irvine, mimicking the walk Rinoa used when she was possessed.

Trying to muster a disapproving look, Irvine smirked. What did he expect? Seriousness was not something she thrived on. "Ultimecia has informed me… I must take Irvine's hat!" with that, the petite teenager tackled him, knocking him to the ground and putting the Ragnorak on autopilot in one motion.

Blinking in shock, he attempted to flip Selphie off, who was grabbing for his hat. He captured one of her wrists, as her other hand shot out and grabbed his hat. She pulled out of his grip, running as fast as she could down the stairs, keeping a hold of his hat.

Irvine's smirk grew, as he got to his feet and tore after his childhood friend, "Give me back my hat!"

"Never! Ultimecia demands it be worshipped!"

Running faster, he began to catch up, causing Selphie to speed up and put the hat on her head. "You look adorable, Selph," the cowboy told her dryly, "Now give me back my hat!"

"No! You've been stripped of your hat because Ultimecia wants it!" she could _hear_ his smirk growing, and instantly regretted her word choice.

"Are you sure that's all you want to see me stripped of?" he asked slyly, making a grab for his hat.

She ducked, "Ew! Ultimecia dislikes the mental images because she's lesbian and finds Irvine ugly anyway!"

"_Ugly_?" demanded Irvine aghast, stopping to stare at her.

"Don't worry, you'll grow into your nose, Irvy," Selphie told him giggling before tearing down the halls once more.

"My nose?! _Selphie!_" Irvine laughed, before chasing after her again.

"Mwhaha! You'll never catch me!" Selphie called over her shoulder.

"That's it! I'll save you, Sefie!" he took a flying leap, and tackled her to the ground, pinning her there. They watched as his hat when flying off Selphie's head, and skidded across the floor.

She struggled to get up, "Irvy! Get off!"

"Are you still possessed?"

"Ye- Ow. No. Get off, you lug, before you crack more of my ribs!"

Snickering, Irvine got up, helped Selphie up, and walked over to his hat, picking it up. As he stuffed it onto his head, a noise came from the radio, which was connected to every room in the Ragnorak. Selphie and Irvine exchanged glances. _Crap, the others had heard everything._ "That. Was._Not_. Funny," Squall gritted through the radio, "Apologize to Rinoa."

"Aha… Sorry," they chorused in unison.

Rinoa burst out laughing, "That was hysterical!"

"It was," they could _hear_ Quistis smiling.

Zell's chuckles could be heard in the background, as Squall sighed, "Be here in half an hour. Bye."

They exchanged another guilty glance, before flying back to Esthar City. Hours later, the Time Compression began.

It was a strange feeling, free falling through time. "Whoa! Look at the geese!" Selphie squealed.

The geese surrounded them, and on the down covered wings were millions of memories. She stared at one memory enthralled, as she remembered.

"_This week we will be doing an outdoor survival test in pairs. Please pick a partner, and I will explain," a stern voice said._

_The voice came from a teacher; her graying hair pulled into a braid, her Trabian blue eyes flashing at her exuberant students._

_In the front row of the classroom full of desks, sat four girls. One was tall, gangly, with cropped standard blonde hair, and tanned (for Trabia anyway) skin. Her huge blue eyes glanced at the other three girls, before her obviously Trabian face turned to the girl to her left, "Maria?" her voice was low._

_The other girl grinned, her pale face splitting into a huge smile. Long, curly, dark hair framed her face, and a beret sat on her head. "Sure, Kate. Sounds fun. Selph, you and Ali gonna be partners?" she asked the other brunette who had the flipped out hair._

_Green eyes sparkled, "Of course!" the petite girl said, "That ok with you, Ali?"_

_The last girl nodded, "That's fine, Sel," she was the most Trabian of them all. Her snow-white skin, her icy blue eyes, and her light blonde hair defined her as such, "We'll have to be careful with my chair."_

"_I'd never forget, Ali," Selphie told her, green eyes serious._

_Alison used her arms to wheel herself out of her spot at the table, causing the teacher to gaze at the wheelchair the girl was confined to in pity. "Alison, you may be excused from this exerci-"_

"_No!" the crippled girl snapped, "I can do it! I'm training to be a SeeD, just like everyone else!"_

"_Miss Smith, may I also remind you that you are not training to be a Combat SeeD, but a Computer Tec SeeD. The chances of you actually gaining anything useful from this exercise are five to one," the teacher responded coldly._

_Selphie stood up, "So? She still has to be able to protect herself! Just because she's a Tec SeeD, doesn't mean she won't see combat!"_

_Alison looked at her gratefully, "And I assume __you__ will be protecting her, Miss Tilmitt?" scowled the teacher._

"_No!" Alison froze at Selphie's word, but Selphie continued, "We'll be working together!"_

"_Very well. Your test is as follows: You will be given today and tomorrow for preparation, and Wednesday at dawn, you will begin. Your task is as follows. You and your partners will find shelter, and set up a livable camp. You will remain out there until Sunday. Coming back to Garden results in an immediate F._

_You will be required to check in every three to four hours by way of radio. If you have not contacted us within five hours, you will be disqualified from this exercise. This is not a game. If you are in serious trouble, use the distress signal on your radio. That is all. You may begin. Generic checklists are on my desk," the teacher told her students._

"_Do we want one?" Selphie asked Alison._

_She shrugged, "I suppose."_

"_I'll get it," the nunchaku user walked over to the desk, black SeeD boots clicking on the wooden floor, "Here," she handed the flimsy paper to the Trabian._

_Skimming the paper, Alison snorted, "Down sleeping bags, tent, flint and tinder, water, food, snowshoes, emergency radio (REQUIRED), first aid kit, weapons, warm clothing, pots and pans, soap, and snow picks… We could have thought up all these things ourselves."_

"_Ok, so I'll go get the sleeping bags and stuff. You wanna get the food and cooking junk from the kitchen?" _

_Alison nodded, "We'll pack everything on a sled. Meet you at the fountain in half an hour?"_

"_Sure!"_

_After half an hour passed, Selphie and Alison met at the fountain that was shaped like a gargoyle which stood in the middle of Trabia Garden. "I got the sleeping bags, tent, snow picks, and our first aid kit. It's piled on the sled in my room."_

"_I have the food, water, pots, pans, the flint, and the tinder," Alison informed her._

"_All right, let's go get the rest of the stuff."_

_The two girls began to make their way down the halls to Selphie's room in a comfortable silence. Suddenly, Alison broke it, "Do you play an instrument?"_

"_I play an electric guitar… Why?" Selphie asked confused._

_The Trabian smiled, "You've only been here a month, but you fit in really well, Sel."_

"_What?"_

"_I'll tell you during the test. Let's go pack our stuff."_

"_Ok… Booyaka! A+ here we come!" cheered Selphie gleefully, "Meet ya here in uh… forty-five minutes?"_

"_Sure."_

_Skipping down the long hallways of the military academy, Selphie wove her way to her room on the northern edge of the school. Many a person had gotten lost in the maze-like twists in the building, and Selphie was shocked that she knew her way around after only a month. Had she really been here a month? It felt like she had just gotten here. But, then again, the twelve year old mused, it felt like she had just been seven when her foster parents had dragged her kicking and screaming from the Orphanage. _

_Green eyes filled with tears, 'How is Matron?' she wondered, 'I hope she's ok. Is Seifer still teasing Zelly and Squally? Is Quisty still bossy? Is Irvy..' the tears spilled over, 'Ha! Chances are, they've all been adopted and forgotten me.' "We-well whatever! I have new friends now!" she murmured, and began to pack her extra warm clothes, as tear drops fell onto her pale hands._

_The two girls met, finished packing, and eventually found they had nothing to do, and so they lazed in front of the fountain. "Jeez, this is boring," Alison complained._

"_Umm.. hey Alison, can you show me how to do some computer techno stuff?" Selphie asked._

_The older cadet shrugged, "Sure, why not?"_

"_Booyaka!" excitedly, Selphie grabbed the handles on Alison's chair, and pushed her down the hall, to one of the numerous computer rooms._

"_All right so this is what you do…" hours passed as Alison taught Selphie numerous things about the mechanical wonders called computers, and Selphie showed a natural aptitude for working with them._

_Wednesday morning came fairly quickly, and at dawn, the class went out for their survival test. Selphie and Alison found a small forest a mile outside of the large snow covered school. Selphie began to set up the tents, whistling a song about a miner whose daughter died so he committed suicide. The other girl was busy at work with the Emergency Radio. The radios had been created in Trabia about a year before. It was the only way to communicate during blizzards, with its incredibly strong signals._

"_Hello, Test Control? This is Cadet Group L, Cadets Tilmitt and Smith checking in at 7o'clock."_

"_Affirmative. Any trouble?"_

"_None, sir."_

"_Very good. Over and out."_

_Putting the radio on standby, Alison asked, "Need any help, Sel?"_

"_Umm…" the girl in question paused, "Nah, I'm good. Could ya get the fire going though?"_

"_All right," shrugged the technology specialist._

_Two hours later, their camp was up and running, complete with a warm, crackling fire. Sitting on the sled, Selphie asked Alison, who was sitting in her chair, "So why does it matter if I play an instrument?"_

"_Well, it's Maria, Katherine, and my dream to start a band and play at a concert."_

"…_And you want me to be in it?" Selphie's question was hushed, as she looked at Alison with wide eyes._

_Hurriedly, the girl said, "Only if you want to, of course!"_

"_Of course I do!" the brunette cheered, "Booyaka! This is gonna be so much fun! What instruments do you guys play?"_

_Alison grinned, "I play the sax, Maria the piano, and Katherine plays the flute."_

"_This is gonna be so cool!"_

"_We'll write you into the music! Eventually, we'll be good enough to play in the Garden Festival!" she informed Selphie fiercely._

_Pausing, the nunchaku specialist said, "I could pull a few strings, I'm in the Garden Festival Committee…"_

_The days passed quickly, as the two cadets discussed plans for their concert, the latest scandals, and just generally giggled and gossiped their time away. Other than cooking, checking in every three to four hours, sleeping and keeping watch, they really had nothing to do except talk. One night, while Alison slept, and Selphie drowsily kept watch, a Blue Dragon stumbled upon their camp._

_The reptile was huge, at least twenty times the size of Selphie, it had large turquoise scales that covered every inch of its large body. Fangs poked out the wide jaws, and massive smoke colored claws jutted out of each of the beast's four feet. _

_The girl leapt up, nunchaku at the ready, as the behemoth spotted her with a roar. A stream of sharpened icicles shot at the girl, who dodged, frightened but calm eyes roving over the monster for any sign of weakness. Her eyes widened, __**There!**__ The dragon's blue scales were charred, and battered on it's underside. A feral grin lit up her face, as her SeeD training took over, screaming for her to exploit the weakness. _

_Selphie flicked her wrist, sending on side of her polished, and deadly weapon whizzing at the weak spot. SMACK. The beast screamed it's fury as the wood hit its sensitive under scales, ripping a few away. Green blood dribbled onto the snow. _

_Enraged, the dragon leapt at her, claws extended. Selphie cried out, as she realized she couldn't dodge a split second before the claws ripped at her, leaving deep gashes in both her arms. Red blood splattered onto the snow, mingling with the green blood. Wincing, Selphie moved in to attack once more, whipping her weapon out to hit the weak spot again. The monster whimpered, and fell onto the green snow, as its emerald blood trickled sluggishly out of the wound the puny human had reopened._

_Selphie felt a twinge of remorse as the animal gave a dying screech before it stopped moving for good. "If it hadn't been injured, we'd be dead right now," Alison said matter-of-factly as she came out of the tent, wheels leaving long tracks in the tainted snow._

"_I know," Selphie said softly, "I know."_

"_What's that?"_

_Shrugging, the adolescent walked forward, to where a glowing ball floated over the body of the dragon. Curious, Selphie poked it. The sphere whirled, and flew into her head._

_The world tilted as voices entered her mind. __**Is this the girl?**__ a deep voice in her head asked._

_**Perhaps we should ask the lass,**__ another deep voice suggested._

"_Who- who are you?" Selphie wasn't sure if she was thinking it, or speaking it._

_**We,**__ a majestic voice answered, __**are the Knights of the Round Table. Our names are Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, Sir Gareth, Sir Galahad, Sir Gaheris, Sir Bors, Sir Bedivere, Sir Kay, Sir Lamorak, Sir Percival, Sir Tristan, Sir Geraint, and I am King Arthur. **_

"_You're- you're a GF, aren't you?"_

_**I suppose you can call us that, **__Selphie focused on the voice, and somehow knew it was Sir Percival._

_Normally, she wouldn't have any idea who it was, but they were junctioned. Junctioning meshed the two, or in this case, fourteen minds together. So she knew exactly who each voice was. Because they were one and the same._

_**We have been looking for you,**__ Sir Tristan informed her._

"_Me? Why?" wondered Selphie._

_**Soon you're going to need the help we give you, **__sighed Sir Galahad._

"_Help? What do you-?"_

_Arthur stopped her,__**Do you trust us to give you a great and terrible gift?**_

_Blinking, Selphie said, "Y-yes."_

_**Then we will have to leave you. The Mercenary is getting closer to our Island, and he will not be able to beat the Abomination without our help,**__ Sir Bors said._

_**Selphie Anna Tilmitt, we the Knights of the Round Table grant thee the ability of Slot,**__ Arthur's words prompted the other knights to begin._

_**I grant thee the element of Fire**__, came Sir Bors' voice. Selphie winced, as a brief inferno ran through her body before settling in the area around her heart._

_Sir Geraint was next, he said, __**I grant thee the element of Ice. **__She felt the power of the strongest blizzard flow through her, to be stored in the same area as the fire._

_**I grant thee the element of Water, **__Sir Kay told her, as an entire ocean ran through her body before being stored._

_**I grant thee the element of Wind,**__ said Sir Lamorak, as a tornado ripped through her body to her heart._

_Selphie wasn't sure if it hurt or not, receiving all the elements, it just felt powerful. Still, she cried out as each surge of power hit her. The gifts kept coming._

_Sir Gawain gave her the power of Poison, Sir Bedivere granted her the power of Holy, Sir Gaheris passed on the element of Earth, and the Lightning element was given to her by Sir Tristan._

_Nearly sobbing, Selphie waited to receive the last five powers. __**I grant thee the element of the Non-Element, use it well, **__Sir Gareth told her._

_With each element, the power flared briefly in her body, before being stored in her chest. __**Along with these nine elements, we grant thee four more powerful abilities, **__said King Arthur._

_**I grant thee the power of Wall, **__said Sir Percival._

_**I grant thee the power of Full-Cure, **__said Sir Galahad._

_Sir Lancelot sighed,__**I grant thee the power of Rupture.**_

_And finally, King Arthur said, __**I grant thee the power of The End. Use it well, little one, for with great power, comes great sacrifice, but only you can decide if the gain was worth the loss.**_

"Selphie, wake up, we're here," Quistis was shaking her.

"Alison?" the girl blinked, eyes blurry.

Confused, the former instructor asked, "Alison?"

The brunette remembered, the blonde before her was Quistis, not Alison. Alison had died when Trabia Garden was destroyed. "It's nothing," Selphie said quickly, hoisting herself to her feet.

The six teenagers made their way through Ultimecia's castle, before switching into two teams. Rinoa, Squall, and Zell on one team, Selphie, Irvine and Quistis on the other.

Selphie's team wasn't given any GF's, except for Diablos, whose Encounter-None ability was coming in handy. They weren't running into any monsters, until Selphie ran into the wrong room. Inside, there was a huge monster. Her eyes widened, "Guys! We're in trouble!" she had no idea what the thing was, but they shouldn't have run into any monsters, with Diablos junctioned. _Shit, we're in trouble_, the nunchaku expert thought in panic.

The three got into a fighting stance, and it all went downhill from there. The monster easily overpowered the weakened team, who was fighting tooth and nail, because they knew the other team wasn't going to be able to save them. Squall, Rinoa, and Zell had other things to worry about. Namely, getting to Ultimecia in time.

Selphie sighed, collapsed on her knees, "Irvine, I need to-"

"I know. Just hurry up, or it won't mean anythin'," Irvine said wincing.

Selphie sighed, concentrating, waiting. Finally, she reached her Limit, and began to pray it would show up, pray that she could get it in time. Full-Cure. No. Fire. No. Cure. No. Barrier. No. The End. _Yes!_ Selphie's eyes opened triumphantly. "The End."

The last thing the monster saw before it died was two butterflies. Selphie fell, and would have hit the ground if her cowboy hadn't caught her.

Eventually, Ultimecia was defeated, and the six teenagers were returned to their own time period, where shortly after, there was a celebration party.

After said party, Irvine cornered Selphie. "Sefie?"

"Yeah?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Here," he handed her a bottle.

Glancing at it, she began to laugh, "Vitamins?"

Smirking, he told her, "Keep reading."

Selphie read the bottle, and smiled slowly, "I guess I'll just have to take a lot of these…"

"Two a day and you'll be fine. Just… don't use The End anymore, ok?"

"I won't," she promised.

Irvine grinned, and waved, "I'll see you later, Selphie, don't forget," he winked and he was gone, leaving Selphie to stare at the vitamins in her hand.

_A vitamin a day adds an hour to your life! It has been proven!_

She stared at the label a second longer, before pulling a calculator from one of her back pockets. Never knew when something with the ability to do math problems in two seconds would come in handy, after all. Punching in the numbers, she stared. "87,600 vitamins to make up the ten years… That's a lot of vitamins…" Selphie muttered to herself as she punched in a few more numbers, "I have to take two vitamins every day for…" her face fell, "120 years."

The End.

Author's Note: This is, by far, the longest one shot I have ever written. I hope you enjoyed it, I'm pretty pleased with how it came out myself. Oh! I tried to keep it as close to the game as I could, but I haven't played it in forever, so I might be a bit off. If you see any mistakes, please tell me! I try to keep it as mistake free as possible, but I am far from a perfect writer. Please review, I'll know if you didn't.


End file.
